It’s been a while now since presenting my spoons and other work to the internet. I’m surprised at the almost complete absence of interest, but realize that I am probably more enamored with cocobolo than most, and spoons aren’t the most exciting or popular subjects. Perhaps I delude myself in thinking my spoons are more than spoons. But that might just be my fixation on cocobolo. Or maybe they are? It’s a debate in solitude regardless.
Thankfully, I was gifted several pieces of fine wood, surprisingly, by three separate people. A piece of cumaru which turned in a cane, two exceedingly nice and large boards of purpleheart and white oak yet to be determined, and several pieces of maple, with one being instrument grade. The instrument-grade piece is now a spoon. Thanks Parker!
This was my first time working with maple. I cannot say with certainty, though it seems instrument-grade maple is not the hardest or most dense. It’s a fine pale wood, but the grain rises more easily than expected. In the unused and finished state, it’s beautiful, with an almost scintillating and reflective surface in spots. Under regular use, I doubt it will retain these features, especially considering my finish is beeswax.
I was nice to take a break from the herbal and irritating dust of cocobolo. Maple has none of those qualities and is pretty easy to work with. The paleness definitely affects the shaping and general approach for me, being accustomed to and having worked mostly with darker woods. I think a denser variety of maple would be a better choice for a spoon though, unless for salads and dry goods. But maybe it will exceed my expectations and give its owner many years of functional aesthetics.
While photographing the spoon, I met a green anole. I am not a huge fan of lizards nor their antics and tendency toward cannibalism and shitting on exterior furniture. There’s something special, though, about the green anole. They have character, and when interacted with, seem more aware and curious. They also tend to be solo, as opposed to their pushup pumping, throat flicking lascivious relatives. I find them intriguing and will usually photograph them when I see them.
The blue around the eyes really stands out.